This is a group photo from the Heart to Heart Hand in Hand Special Olympics Basketball
Game for Area 5 Special Olympics in April. Dean Transportation's $500 donation helped
make the overall effort and game possible.

In April, Ferris State University’s Sports Careers Registered Student Organization,
hosted its 9th annual Heart to Heart Hand in Hand Special Olympics Basketball Game for Area 5 Special
Olympians. To help make the event successful, Dean Transportation donated $500 toward
the effort.

Kellie P. Dean, president and CEO Dean Transportation, announced his organization’s
donation in a letter addressed to Sandy Alspach, a Ferris professor of Communication
and advisor to the Sports Careers student organization. The $500 donation was encouraged
by Dean Transportation Director of Training Fred Doelker, who also serves on the Communication
Program Advisory Board. Dean, during his time attending Michigan State University,
endured a life-changing experience that helped bring him to Special Olympics – then
in its infancy.

Today, 35 years later, Dean sees Michigan as a leader in providing sports programming
for people with disabilities through the Special Olympics.

“In my young years as a teacher of special education, I coordinated all levels of
special needs sports, including fundraising,” Dean said. “As a young person, I can’t
think of anything that was more personally valuable to me than to have had a chance
to become a part of the Special Olympics programming and I believe that this experience
will benefit students as they develop their careers in sports communication.”

Having Dean and Dean Transportation associated with the event was important, according
to Alspach.

“This is my second experience working with the Area 5 Special Olympics people, and
I was thrilled to be able to share our activity with Mr. Dean at Dean’s Transportation
through our Communication Advisory Board member Fred Doelker who works for the company,”
she said.

In 2013, the Sports Careers student organization adopted the event as part of its
commitment to philanthropy. The event is managed by students and begins with marketing
efforts early in the semester.

The annual event includes a basketball game that features Ferris men’s and women’s
basketball team members mixing with the Area 5 Special Olympians to play a game in
front of family, friends and community members. Previously, teams have been coached
by members of the Ferris coaching staff and community members.

Students solicit items for and manage a silent auction, accept donations at the door
and run a 50/50 raffle for which proceeds benefit Area 5 Special Olympics. Students
helped raise more than $300 during the 2013 event. The Sports Careers students participated
in many aspects of the game-day experience, including organizing fan participation
events and announcing the action.

“This event is one that the Special Olympians look forward to participating in every
year; even though the event is not held until April each year, our athletes are constantly
asking if it is all set even while they’re in their other sports seasons prior to
basketball,” said Patricia Rosales, director of Special Olympics Area 5. “They really
love interacting with the Ferris athletes and getting to show off their basketball
skills to everyone in attendance.”

Added Rosales, “The donation was a very big surprise and the money was used toward
our area expenses such as registration fees, transportation and uniforms for the State
Summer Games at Central Michigan University May 29-31. We are looking forward to continuing
this event with the Sports Careers students and working with them to have Ferris certified
as a Special Olympics college. We are thankful for all of the support given to our
area by Ferris over the years.”

Alspach thanked Rosales and Jennifer Sevarns, fundraising chair, who brought the Special
Olympics basketball players to Ferris and got the word out to the Special Olympics
Area 5 supporters. She also thanked the Ferris State University Athletics Department
and, particularly, men’s basketball team head coach Andy Bronkema, men’s assistant
basketball coach Jim Lake and women’s assistant basketball coach Shea Mead. The coaches
brought their teams to play in the game, coached and assisted with game site management.

“We look forward to extending our commitment to Special Olympics,” Alspach said. “The
Sports Careers RSO will be working with SOMI Area 5 to build a “unified team” to compete
at the Homecoming Kickball Tournament in Fall 2014. Through the Sports Leadership
Institute, our next goal is to form an SO College RSO at Ferris, to stand alongside
our neighbors Central Michigan University and Grand Valley State University in the
effort to celebrate sports as a place where everyone can play in America”

Dean Transportation, formerly Special Transportation, was established in the early
1950’s by Eric Christensen. Christensen transported individuals affected by polio
to Lansing area schools throughout the 1950’s and the early 1960’s. In 1960 Special
Transportation was incorporated by Lyle Stephens, a former Michigan State Police Motor
Carrier Lieutenant and leader in passenger safety.

In 1986, Dean joined Stephens, leaving his position, of 14 years, in the Lansing School
District. In 1991, Special Transportation changed its name to Dean Transportation,
Inc. prior to Stephens’s retirement in 1995.